Three storied soda companies, a purveyor of hot cocoa and coffee, and the maker of a popular energy drink are the five companies from the Beverage Industry (Non-Alcoholic) that will face off today in Comparably’s digital arena. Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper Snapple, Nestle, PepsiCo and Red Bull all offer popular drinks, but will be judged here purely on how their own employees judge their company cultures. These conclusions are based not on their inherent fizziness, the way their hot chocolate makes you feel cozy, or how many cans can get you through an all-nighter, but based on thousands of self-submitted employee ratings and reviews.
OVERALL CULTURE
With little effort, Red Bull takes today’s first little gold trophy, thanks to an A+ rating for their culture from their employees. Pepsi and Nestle are looking good, Coke is slipping a bit towards a more average grade, and Dr Pepper Snapple looks – from this grade, at least – a bit toxic.
Coca-Cola: “It’s just OK. It is a very demanding company that requires a lot of energy. However, there is a lot of flexibility.”
Dr Pepper Snapple: “Lots of places to escape your coworkers.”
Nestle: “Depends heavily on the office. Headquarters is much more buttoned up than Solon, which is more buttoned up than Oakland. Generally supportive people, though, who are willing to help you with your career.”
PepsiCo: “Relationship based and collaborative. Fast paced, results oriented.”
Red Bull: “The culture has changed for the better quite considerably over the last 3 years. To me me this says the managers care.”
CEO & LEADERSHIP
Another win for Red Bull, thanks to their well-liked CEO, Dietrich Mateschitz. Nestle’s Steve Presley, Pepsi’s Ramon Laguarta, and Coke’s James Quincey got fair scores that show some room for improvement. Pepper-Snapple’s Larry Young comes in last, surely taking the blame for a company in some kind of flux.
Coca-Cola: “Upper management is always behind, they never have clear focus on goals and ways to help us obtain them.”
Dr Pepper Snapple: “Leadership is very engaged in daily activities and most of them came from much lower ranks in the organization (i.e. route driver) and they truly believe in the company and the people.”
Nestle: “Our CEO is personable and truly connects with the employees. He sees us as individuals rather than just another number added to the overall head count.”
PepsiCo: “Our CEO is highly regarded within PEPSICO, a true visionary leader.”
Red Bull: “They live the leadership code.”
COMPENSATION
Three for three for Red Bull, thanks to this big A+ win in the Compensation category. Nestle (whose handicap today may be that they are the only company here who don’t make a beverage that can be readily mixed with vodka) also rated an A+, just two percentage points back from Red Bull. The “Cola Wars” continue on a smaller scale as Coke and Pepsi duke it out for third place, with Pepsi taking the eventual bronze. And again, we see Dr Pepper Snapple rating major disapproval from their employees, this time for their salaries.
Coca-Cola: “It seems to be as good or better than most employers that I have compared with.”
Dr Pepper Snapple: “It is a fair compensation package.”
Nestle: “Company proactively assesses equity and gives increases for adjustments – you don’t always have to feel like you need to fight to be treated fairly.”
PepsiCo: “Base + bonus + LTI. I’m very well compensated in cash and long term investments.”
Red Bull: “Best compensation/benefits in entire market place.”
PERKS & BENEFITS
Red Bull and dark horse Nestle both scored “good enough for this crowd” B scores to each take a trophy for the Perks & Benefits they offer. Pepsi and Coke view for third place, and Pepsi takes it again. And at this point we can’t be too surprised to see Dr Pepper Snapple in last place with a near-failing score.
Coca-Cola: “Great benefits especially compared to Pepsi as a supervisor for 10 years. I’m getting better benefits in less than one year with Coca-Cola.”
Dr Pepper Snapple: “They match 401k. 5 percent of what you put in.”
Nestle: “Good bonus packages when we hit our goals.”
PepsiCo: “Work from home. Great gym on premises. Summer Fridays and holiday Fridays in December.”
Red Bull: “More comp cases of Red Bull per employee instead of one every quarter!”
DIVERSITY
Red Bull, seeming more and more like the most modern-feeling company of the group (not to mention the most literally modern), rating an A from employees of color for their Diversity. Coke redeems itself a bit here for second place, with Nestle and Pepsi trailing just behind. And there’s Pepper Snapple finally succumbing to an F grade in this key category – not a good look.
Coca-Cola: “Great diversity.”
Nestle: “I appreciate how diverse and inclusive we are.”
PepsiCo: “There’s a great deal of diversity at PepsiCo.”
Red Bull: “A lot of diversity.”
OUTLOOK
Coca-Cola: “I love being able to help the customers, helping co-workers when needed, and finding out about new products.”
Dr Pepper Snapple: “I have been with this company for 10 years and plan to be there another 20.”
Nestle: “Great direction especially in the past year.”
PepsiCo: “Soda sales continue to decline and our ‘better for you’ products continue to grow. We need to continue to have a well rounded mix of products.”
Red Bull: “I would go to war with them!”
With dedication like that last quoted Red Bull employee, there’s no surprise Red Bull takes the whole thing, as well as the Outlook category. Again, we see that modern employees expect certain standards in place, and they aren’t necessarily standards that have been in place for multiple decades. It’s clearly easier for a company like Red Bull that’s only been around for a few decades to set standards early than it is for a titan like Coke (or, ahem, Dr Pepper) to change course.
